Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.48548/pubdata-1470
Full metadata record
FieldValue
Resource typeJournal Article
Title(s)Spatial interpretation of high-resolution environmental proxy data of the Middle Pleistocene Palaeolithic faunal kill site Schöningen 13 II-4, Germany
DOI10.48548/pubdata-1470
Handle20.500.14123/1540
CreatorUrban, Brigitte  0000-0003-0071-3388
Krahn, Kim J.  0000-0002-1646-7612
Kasper, Thomas  0000-0002-9675-1241
García-Moreno, Alejandro  0000-0003-4861-7774
Hutson, Jarod M.  0000-0001-6357-7833
Villaluenga, Aritza  0000-0001-9790-1347
Turner, Elaine  0000-0002-3142-6288
Gaudzinski-Windheuser, Sabine  0000-0003-4770-311X
Farghaly, Dalia  1231574259
Schwalb, Antje  0000-0002-4628-1958
AbstractTo spatially characterize the palaeolakeshore environment at the archaeological kill site Schöningen 13 II-4 of the Middle Pleistocene Reinsdorf sequence, in-depth palynological, geochemical, aquatic microfossil and archaeological analyses were undertaken on sediment sections with an average thickness of about 15 cm, concordantly overlain by faunal remains, dominated by horse, from the unique ‘Spear Horizon’ layers of the 1995 excavation campaign. The data reveal a distinctive lake level drop, documented by the change from a carbonate-rich lake marl to a carbonate-free organic mud with increased carbon content and decreasing C/N, Si/Al, Si/K and Fe/Al ratios, indicating a higher pedogenic supply of organic matter and drier conditions at the site. Compared with older, similar transitional phases of lake level changes occurring within the Reinsdorf sequence, it is important that these youngest sediments are undisturbed, indicating continuous development. Ostracod and diatom analyses indicate a lowering water level with higher salinities and rich aquatic vegetation. Mesorheophilic ostracod species along with tychoplanktic diatom taxa point to flowing waters and turbulence at the lakeshore, presumably related to spring-fed streams originating from nearby highlands. Palynological results reveal a very diverse zonal vegetation pattern around the palaeolakeshore considering an area of investigation of approximately 50 × 75 m and a tessellated type of regional vegetation during the formation of the archaeological horizons. On topographically lower elevated areas, birch groves and taxa favouring wet, marshy conditions such as Cyperaceae, indicative of terrestrialization, were predominating, while other stands of this transitional phase reveal a very dry, grass-dominated steppe woodland favouring a rich wildlife with a striking number of megaherbivores. Our results suggest that the lithological differences of the ‘Spear Horizon’ layers containing the archaeological finds were due to their respective topographical situation and that the layers were deposited almost simultaneously during the beginning of the lake level drop. Human activities seem to have concentrated in sparsely vegetated areas along the palaeolakeshore, rather than in areas of adjacent denser birch swamp forest stands.
LanguageEnglish
Year of publication in PubData2024
Publishing typeParallel publication
Publication versionPublished version
Date issued2023-06-07
Creation contextResearch
Faculty / departmentFakultät Nachhaltigkeit
NotesThis publication was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Leuphana University Lüneburg.
Date of Availability2024-11-14T12:39:58Z
Archiving Facility Medien- und Informationszentrum (Leuphana Universität Lüneburg  02w2y2t16)
Published byMedien- und Informationszentrum, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
  Related Resources
Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 

Urban_Spatial_interpretation_of_high-resolution_environmental_proxy_data.pdf
MD5: 43a8bb55c8b970b94cb04914ce521bc5
License: 
open-access

13.16 MB
Adobe PDF		View/Open

Items in PubData are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Views
Citation formats
Item Export Bar
Access statistics

Page view(s): 3

Download(s): 1